Does the data you want require a functional or strategic solution?

How can I improve my data? We get this question frequently from the nonprofit teams we serve. 

And like any other business area, improvement in the category of data starts at the top. Collecting, caring for, and maintaining data requires consistent prioritization and strategic assessment.

Here’s a starting look at supporting your journey to better data.

The 5 W's of Data Collection

Gathering better data starts at the point of collection. While it's easy to get in-the-weeds on the functional and operational pieces of how this happens, your strategy is the glue that binds. You need a top-down understanding of your core audience and the data you need across your business units for data collection to go well.

We like to break this down into the W's - who, what, when, where, why, and how (not a W, but you get it).

Who

Which members of your team collect data? Is the answer to this a strategic one or a function of historic precedence or convenience? Be thoughtful about whom you mobilize to solicit data from your audiences. Not only will you be better organized in servicing your approach in this way, but you'll be better able to guarantee that you're in legal compliance. Be sure that the team members who collect data -- or who oversee the systems that collect data -- are close enough to the strategy and to compliance mandates to understand and make decisions about data use.

What

What fields are you regularly ingesting and have those been set with strategic intent? To be set up well, you need a strong understanding of which audience information is business critical, especially in terms of the best ways to retain and upgrade your constituents. For example, if you have an SMS program, have you validated that you're asking for phone numbers and opt ins early and often enough? Or, in assessing your planned giving work, are you looking at what inputs you're receiving from survey deployments and other key touchpoints? Validate that the data you're collecting is in strategic service to you. 

When

When in an audience member's lifecycle are you asking them for information? Research and years of experience tells us that committed donors are more likely to provide you with their data based on the trust that you've gained. But they're only going to provide that data if you ask for it. Simiarly, they're only going to have the option to trust you if you regularly show up with options to earn it. Set your strategy for when you're going to deploy data asks, and then automate the processes for collection, whether that means establishing triggers in your mail or digital treatments or in ensuring that staff that has 1:1 communication with donors and prospects receive regular training. And, just as important, establish your processes for honoring opt outs as they happen because you can't ask for trust without demonstrating trustworthiness.

Where

Data collection can happen anywhere if you let it. And to be clear, you shouldn't let it. After you've decided which staff will manage data collection, decide where that will happen. Is it digitally via website forms? Is it in-person at events or via major gift officer cultivation? Know what rules you need to put in place to make sure operations hold based on project and that consent notices are present -- because everybody knows there's always that one rogue microsite or major donor prospect that becomes the exception when they probably shouldn't. Follow the trail of how data collection is happening presently, and then optimize it so you're SETTING the trail instead of being beholden to what exists.

Why

Many of us have been guilty of sending out that cultivation survey that's been created purely for the purposes of audience engagement but that has no follow-through. Or creating a really great campaign concept based on a news cycle that dwindles or a board priority that falters. This not only sets a bad tone in terms of your audience's experience, but it also creates data disparity that requires clean-up in future years. Audit your outbound commmunications and your forms to ensure that the fields you're asking for serve a long-term purposes. Additionally, audit for basic hygiene like naming conventions to reduce the chance of data mess. And be advised that some information -- like sensitive health or demographic data -- requires re-consent to store it ongoing. Be sure that you deserve to collect the type of audience information you're asking for based on the way you honor its protection.

How

How data makes its way into your system is critical to its value and to the usefulness of your reporting. You need to set the strategy for which tools your teams should use to collect information and also for how your tools communicate with each other. For example, how frequently does information input into your email tool sync with your CRM? Will that impact the user's experience based on when they receive their next set of communications? Does your major gifts team check user communication preferences before delivering personal emails? Does your volunteer team input data into the same system as your direct response team? You should be answering all of these at a strategic level based on your goals and desired end state.

The answer to the key question at-hand -- does the data you want require a functional or a strategic solution? -- is both, but it always, always starts with strategy. 

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When you’re ready to start digging in to understand the state of your data – or if you need some help understanding how to foster productive conversations about data with your team – we’re here to support. Contact us to kick things off.